Section 250.94 of the National Electrical Code (NEC) is directed to electrical grounding and bonding of communication equipment. This code section is applicable to all types of buildings and structures, including residential, commercial and industrial structures. The purpose of the code section is to provide a common grounding point due to the increased use of sensitive electronic equipment in many types of structures and therefore requiring bonding of the ground conductors associated with such equipment to reduce the overall potential difference between the various ground conductors. Such reduction in potential difference is particularly important when a structure is subject to lightning strikes and the like. The code section requires lightning protection systems, communication equipment, radio, television, cable and satellite systems to be bonded (grounded) together so as to minimize the electrical potential between such devices.
In particular, National Electrical Code 250.94 requires an intersystem grounding device that provides the means for connecting communication system grounding conductors and bonding conductors at service equipment or at disconnecting means for buildings or structures supplied by a feeder or branch circuit and specifically requires an identifiable physical termination point to which all such devices and systems are to be bonded. There has therefore been development of intersystem grounding devices for providing such grounding and bonding termination of communication equipment and the like. In many such installations, there is an electrical grounding rod to which the intersystem grounding bridge is electrically terminated along with an associated electrical grounding conductor which in turn provides grounding termination to an electrical box and the like on the outside of a structure. The NEC code requires that electrical grounding conductors from such communication equipment be terminated with such an intersystem grounding bridge.
There is therefore a need for an intersystem grounding bridge and system which is easy to use by electricians and which facilitates termination of ground conductors from communication equipment and the like to the grounding bridge so as to provide for compliance with the NEC code.
Thus, in any particular installation or location, various conduits or cables must be interconnected to each other as well as connected to the primary power supply in a suitable power distributing outlet box, junction box, meter box, or other enclosure. In these instances, flexible metal conduit and/or armor or metal clad cables within which the electrical power carrying wires are contained, must be securely mounted to the housing of a junction box or outlet box, or connected to an appropriate solid or rigid metal tubing or conduit.
In addition, in order to assure that the installed conduits or cables and the electrical power carrying wires contained therein are properly and safely installed for operation, power distributing outlet boxes, junction boxes, meter boxes, and other similar enclosures typically incorporate grounding conductors which are interconnected to the power supply and extend from the particular box to a properly installed grounding rod/conductor or remote grounded location. In this way, all of the power carrying wires installed in the particular home or building are properly connected to a grounded location.
In 2008, various Articles of the National Electric Code (NEC) were rewritten to define new requirements for Intersystem Bonding Termination. In this regard, requirements for installing a bonding connection point for communication systems were specifically defined. Due to the numerous instances in which homes, electrical systems, electronic equipment, communication equipment, and the like were destroyed or severely damaged by uncontrolled events such as lightning, power surges, etc., the new requirements were established to provide an effective and reliable intersystem bonding termination which should reduce or eliminate the difficulties and damage that has been encountered.
In accordance with the new requirements, including Section 250.94 of the NEC, an intersystem bonding termination establishes a device which provides a connecting point for communication equipment grounding and bonding. In achieving this goal, the intersystem bonding terminations must employ either (1) a set of terminals mounted and electrically connected to a meter enclosure, or (2) a bonding bar near the service or meter equipment and closure or close to the raceway for the service conductors, or (3) the installation of a bonding bar near the grounding electrode conductor.
Although these requirements have been in existence for several years, commercially available products which are capable of achieving the desired mounted connections are generally limited and expensive. Typically, these prior art products incorporate components which are expensive to manufacture due to tolerance requirements for enabling these components to be secured to the desired grounding rod/grounding conductor. Consequently, a need exists in the industry for the production of effective products, such as bonding bars or grounding bridges, which are capable of being employed to satisfy the requirements for the intersystem bonding termination and are capable of being manufactured inexpensively, while also providing a high quality, highly effective and easily employed product.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an intersystem grounding bridge and system which is easy to install in any desired location, especially such an intersystem grounding bridge and system that includes a cover to protect the connections from the environment and tampering.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an intersystem grounding bridge system having a cover which is easy to slidably move relative to the grounding bridge, which in a first position surrounds the grounding bridge so as to minimize tampering of the intersystem grounding bridge system after installation and to provide environmental protection to the overall system after installation, and in a second position, is moved away from the grounding bridge to facilitate installation or removal of electrical conductors and/or grounding rod relative to the grounding bridge.
A further object of the present invention is an intersystem grounding bridge and system that has a cylindrical housing forming the grounding bridge, the cylindrical housing configured with a plurality of channels on one face that are dimensioned for receiving and holding a grounding wire/conductor associated with a communication system component and further having a second channel formed in the cylindrical housing through a second face, the channel dimensioned for receiving a grounding rod and an associated electrical grounding conductor.
A still further object of the present invention is an intersystem grounding bridge and system that includes a viewing port in the cylindrical housing forming the grounding bridge, the viewing port facilitating visual inspection of bonding of the grounding rod and, if present, the associated electrical grounding conductor to the grounding bridge.